This invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically and sequentially assembling together a first member having a bore or hole (hereinafter referred to as a collar with a hole, to which a shaft of a motor is inserted) and a second member having a projection (hereinafter referred to as a shaft of a motor), and more particularly to an automatic assembly control system for inserting the collar onto the shaft which has one step portion or more at the end portion thereof.
There has been a strong demand for automatic assembling systems for automatically assembling a collar and a shaft in view of saving man hours. However, the correction of the position of the collar with respect to the shaft and the control of the force with which the collar is inserted to the shaft must be adjusted with an extremely high degree of accuracy and sensitivity equal to that of a human depending upon the condition of engagement of the collar with the shaft. For this purpose, some of the inventors of this application have proposed some techniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,674. By utilizing these techniques, the collar can be inserted to the shaft, the shape of which is uniform in the surface. In a case, however, that the shape of the shaft is complicated and variable such as a shaft having one step portion or more at the end portion thereof, these techniques cannot be used.